The Fake Fiance
by fersuremaybefersurenot98
Summary: On the outside, Ethan's life seems pretty mundane- and it is, for the most part. But attending law school, working three jobs, and putting up with his impossible girlfriend isn't as easy as it looks. What happens when he gets overconfident and tells his parents she said "yes"? One hazel-eyed, flirty brunet might prove himself to be less impossible than he seems. Bethan.


**AN:** So...about my other stories...No Comment! Dx Gah, I'm hateful, aren't I? Yes, I'm still alive! Just not particularly motivated, (sorry!) but I'm working on them!

Be sure to check out my very new (I-just-uploaded-a-half-hour-before-this-one new) How To Train You're Dragon story. If you're into that.

Again, I apologize for my laziness and for any errors you will undoubtably find. I had to make quite a few changes from the original, but 7,100+ words? Heck yeah!

Enjoy!

 **X**

"I'll be with you in a second!" Ethan called over his shoulder and hastily tried to wipe up the remaining foam from the floor.

Hot chocolate -cold chocolate by now- and melted marshmallows were splashed all over his work apron and pants. He scowled in disgust at the sticky tiles and got up to wash his hands and arms of the offending liquid. Scrubbing his nails, hands, and arms quickly with the sweet smelling antibacterial soap, he ripped some paper towels from the wall and rushed to dry off. Lunch hour was just drawing to a close, and the employees had been rushing all over, nearly tripping over each other in their haste. Ethan had, when he turned too fast and Rory was hurrying by with a tray of coffees and donuts. The next thing he knew, pastries had flown and coffee cups had cracked open, and he found himself in a sweet, wet sprawl on the ground with his flailing friend crashing down on him. The last he'd seen of the blonde, he was rushing in the general direction of the restroom with chocolate stained hair.

"I don't have all day here." A playful, familiar voice called from the counter. "Not even for you, gorgeous."

The counter bell dinged obnoxiously and Ethan just shook his head, ignoring the usual not-really-nickname, and trading his ruined apron for a clean one on the way to the counter.

"I'm here." Ethan huffed and began typing in the order for this particular customer. It's been a week this time, but he always orders the same thing. His favorite had only changed once in the three months he'd been coming in. "The usual?"

"Roasted hazelnut with two pumps of white chocolate and a shot of caramel." He confirmed, watching with hazel eyes as Ethan's hands ran over the pumps and buttons, more careful now that there wasn't a constant pressure to serve three people at once. "And a bran muffin."

"Ooh, changing it up this time?" Ethan smiled as he finished with the drink and snapped a lid over the cup. He grabbed a muffin with the tongs and handed it to the man in a white paper bag.

"Just a little. Thanks. Keep the change." He said and handed over a few bills. "Hey, do you ever take a break?"

This was new. "Just about an hour ago." Ethan replied as the man as he stepped aside to let another costumer step up to the counter.

"Too bad...I would've taken you out for lunch." He shrugged and gave a bright grin that Ethan couldn't help but respond to, if only a little. "I need a nice time out with a friend."

"Next time." Ethan assured with one last fleeting smile as he watched the man disappear out the front door and into the falling snow. Then he turned to the next customer, a man arguing on the phone with his wife, and discreetly sighed. He knew the feeling.

Fighting with Erika wasn't exactly his favorite thing to do, especially with Christmas coming up. He'd already gotten her a bunch of expensive gifts, including a shiny necklace and even shinier engagement ring he'd ordered in the wrong size...and he was pretty sure she wasn't coming back. Not after that last episode...it was bad.

At first, he'd thought he might've loved Erika...and was stupid enough to think she could love him back. But now, here they were a year later and it still wasn't working, and they were still stuck in that stage of fighting and jealousy that was normally reserved for teenagers. They were twenty-four years old, for gods sake. They were living together. They were going to law school together. They'd grown up in the same town. Ethan had tried over and over again to compromise, to try and push through all of their differences and disagreements because he thought they'd deserved it. He knew _he_ deserved it. Keeping at the top of his class, being in a relationship, and working two-and-a-half jobs to pay the bills didn't just happen overnight, and neither did the love and future he was prepared to promise her. The sad part of it was that he knew she would've been happy, if they'd just _tried_...but maybe that's not what she wanted. Maybe that's not what he wanted either...she loved to fight and make things complicated, and Ethan liked stability and taking things easy. Maybe they were just too different.

He was going to have to take those gifts back...

Or give them to his mother and sister. There was always that option...and then he wouldn't have to return anything, either. Two birds with one stone and all that.

But, see...none of this was the real problem. Sure, he was sad about Erika, and he was going to miss her, and he felt like a disappointment for not making it work when it was just a few days before the biggest event of the month. Oh, and the engagement thing, too. That had stung pretty bad, and not just because the ring had hit him square in the forehead before joining the roses in the snow at his feet. The image of Erika's angry but still upset and tear-streaked face before she stormed away was something Ethan would never forget...but this was all inevitable, and he realized that now. He was just sorry he didn't realize it sooner.

Because he'd told his parents he had a fiancée.

He was so sure...and so incredibly stupid. What was he thinking? That proposing would solve everything? That she would just say yes and everything would be okay and they would be happy? Maybe that was exactly what he was thinking...maybe love really did blind you.

"Hey, Mr. Dead-Beat," Rory greeted as he came up behind him, making him jump and effectively shaking him out of his sulking. "Are we still on for later? Cuz I need a shower. Like bad, and like right now, because my hair is still sticking to my head from all that hot chocolate, and you know they don't actually have showers handy at Starbucks..."

"Yeah, we close in like ten minutes anyway." Ethan sighed, scrubbing the last of the stickiness from the floor and shoving the mop pail away.

"I know that!" Rory grimaced like he couldn't believe Ethan would remind him, even though he'd been working there longer.

But Rory still forgot. He'd forgotten six times.

"Okay. I'm gonna go start the car, and I'm hungry." The blonde tried discreetly glancing at the clock before he began wrapping himself in is winter coat and scarf, heading for the door.

"We can get fast food on the way up town." Ethan answered absently, now wiping of the countertops. Since Erika had packed and gone a few days ago, he'd been too depressed to go out and shop. "I don't really have anything at home-need to get groceries."

"Anything's fine with me, but if I don't get food within the next fifteen minutes, my stomach is going to start eating itself."

"Sounds painful." Was Ethan's only reply and with that, his friend exited the establishment and Ethan watched him walk away through the huge glass windows.

Later, when Rory had come and gone from his apartment, and Ethan was cleaning up the mess from their Chinese take-out, he got a call from his mom. His phone buzzed and clattered and his moms photo from a few months back smiled at him from the countertop.

"Hey mom." Ethan answered, busily scrubbing a away some rice dried to the plate.

"Hey sweetie! How's everything going in the city?" Sam's too-cheery voice assaulted Ethan's ears. "We haven't talked in a while."

"Yeah, well...it's been a week." Ethan smiled to himself. "Anyway, everything's fine over here, mom. I might have to get the thermostat looked at, though. Rory came over today, and don't even ask, but now it's kind of hanging all over the place, and it won't stick back on."

"Rory's a character." His mom sighed, then said more loudly, "Can I get a pomegranate-blueberry smoothie and an apple pie?" There was a pause before she said thanks, and Ethan could hear her driving up.

"You're ordering McDonalds?" Ethan asked in amusement and finished rinsing the rest of the dishes.

"The drive-thru. I just got off work, and I need comfort food. So, how're things at school, honey? Tell me quick, before my cell phone dies."

"Things are great." Ethan nodded to himself as he went around tidying up stray books and papers. "Everything's going fine, actually. I'm just finishing up with semester tests."

"Keep it up, and you'll go to great places." Sam replied, pride clear in her voice, before it took on a tone of excitement. "Soooo...how's the engagement going? How's the happy couple doing? I can't wait to finally see her again! I'm so excited!"

Ethan's face turned red, and suddenly he couldn't make himself confess to his mother like he'd planned. He'd completely forgotten the feeling of doom hanging over him since he and Erika had split.

He couldn't tell her...how much of a loser was he?

"You are bringing her to the party, aren't you? Oh Ethan, it's going to be so nice! You're father's excited to meet her too, I'm sure, and-"

"Mom!" Ethan spoke over her, trying to stop her excited rant before she could be too disappointed. "There's something I really need to-" Suddenly there was a click and then the dial tone. Her phone must've died. "Damn it."

Okay...so, he was afraid to tell his family...but it was humiliating, and sad. Did he mention that he was supposed to go to his family's anniversary party with Erika? This was only the second time they would actually meet her, and by now she was supposed to be his fiancée. Oh God, what had he gotten himself into?

To explain the freaky party thing, it turned out that Ethan's parents had gotten married just two days after his grandparents on his mom's side. Even weirder than that, his other grandparents from his fathers side had gotten married in that same week, but one of them, his grandfather, had died about ten years before. It was a not-so-strangely melancholy time, but this year, Ethan's mother (god knows what possessed her) had planned a big party for the both of them. So that meant that pretty much every family member they were close to and then some was going to be there...

And knowing his mother, word had probably already spread that he had a fiancée, which, hello, he _didn't_. Great. Just grand.

What was he supposed to tell his mother? She'd sounded so excited...and Jane would make sure he never heard the end of it.

"What was I thinking?" Ethan groaned aloud, sinking down onto his couch and idly flipping through the channels. He'd been such an idiot, because the more he thought about it, the more he realized that proposing to Erika had been little more than a joke. Most of the time, he felt as though she were seeing right through him, as though all his words went through one ear and out the other. Did he really think that they were going to get married and live happily ever after? No...the ring had been one last desperate hand of cards to save their relationship before it was too late...and those cards were crap, and now he had none left to play anyway. To make matters worse, it felt like all his efforts had been towards a lost cause. There had been no real spark anymore, and Ethan had a depressing feeling that this was going to be the fight they weren't going to come back from. The time Erika wasn't going to move back in.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

It was much later, next morning in fact, as he was in the shower, that the solution to Ethan's predicament came to him...

Okay, so it might not've been the best or most moral solution, but it was kind of okay, and he was pretty sure it would work, if he payed well enough.

He pondered who his victim would be while he stocked the dispensers with napkins and cups and straws. Only a few quiet early-risers dotted Starbucks and snow fell pleasantly in soft cottony flakes outside the shop windows. There was still a slight lemony taint to the air from when he'd wiped everything down with Clorox last night, but it was quickly being replaced with the strong scent of brewing coffee. He was just mulling over the idea of Sarah posing as his wife, but that was just wistful thinking...she was in England right now with a research program that would last at least another week, and besides, Sarah had been his best friend since pre-school. It would be either way too obvious a lie or way too hard to fake and then get out of, and Sarah was already happily in a relationship with her high-school crush, Jesse.

Rory? Hell no, because one, he was pretty sure neither of them were gay, and Rory couldn't fake anything to save his life. The blonde had also grown up with Ethan, and he was sure his mom would see right through them in less than a second.

He had a few girl friends (that being, friends who were girls) and a few other people he just knew from around but he didn't really want to ask them. It just seemed too personal, so he guessed he would have to find someone new, and pretty quick too, if he was going to pull this off. It had to be someone smart, because he DID go to law school, and also someone who knew how to play it cool...a good actor. There were a few regulars at the shop, who were on pretty good terms with him, and looked the type as well, but he wasn't sure who was willing to skip their own weekend to fill in for his.

Ethan was in the process of chatting up Hannah, a cute and single student from several of his classes when someone literally fell into the front door. Someone in totally non-winter appropriate apparel took a step, slipped on the carpet, took another step to right himself, and tripped over his own feet before falling to the floor. In all the commotion, Ethan didn't see the man hit his face on a chair leg until he saw the blood dripping onto the mans dark green jacket, and onto the carpet, staining the fabrics crimson at an alarming rate.

"You okay?" Ethan called, and rushed to get napkins as Hannah hurried to the mans side to help him up. After running around the counter, he nearly slipped himself, but instead dropped down beside the man, who was gently shooing Hannah's helping hands away.

"I'm fine. It was my own fault. Clumsy me." The man was saying rather cheerfully and when he looked up, Ethan found himself feeling the startling sensation of déjà vu as he met his eyes. "Oh. Hey, beautiful."

Ethan only shook his head and smiled a little whilst handing him a handful of paper towels. Hannah laughed once she realized he was addressing Ethan standing behind her and not herself; and Ethan grinned.

"Are you sure?" Hannah asked sweetly, and this time he accepted her help and allowed himself to be carefully pulled up, clutching the tissue to his nose with the other hand.

"Yeah, thanks. It'll probably stop in a few minutes."

"Okay..." Hannah made sure he was comfortable in a chair, and then smiled and turned to Ethan. "Well, if everything's fine, I guess I should get going. Looks like we're gonna have to have coffee some other time, Ethan. I can see you've got your hands full here." She joked, gesturing to the three people who made up the entirety of the shop.

"Another time, then." Ethan nodded and gave her a small grin. "I've gotta clean up this blood. See you, Hannah."

"Bye!" As Ethan went to get a cleaning rag, she left, along with another person who was in the shop, and then there were three, which was surprising. There were usually a lot more.

"You're name's Ethan?" Ethan heard a question from behind him, and turned.

"Yeah. Ethan Morgan." He disappeared into the closet and then came back out with a rag and a bottle of disinfectant. When he reached the front rug, he bent down to begin spraying.

"I'm Benny Weir." The man replied, finally giving himself a name, as the pungent scent from the spray bottle filled the air. He grinned suddenly. "So, you're kind of a stud, huh? Do you promise everyone a good time out, loveshack?" He laughed and Ethan felt his cheeks heating rapidly.

"No! It's just..." Ethan was struggling to reply when a much more important answer came to him.

"You!" Ethan said in the most stupid realization, and Benny looked at him funny and gave an adorable confused look.

"Me? Yeah babe, I'm right here. Hi."

"No, no..." Ethan shook his head, as though trying to shake the idea off, but he couldn't ignore the suddenly nagging feeling that this was the right answer. "Never mind- forget Hannah. Would you be willing to go out with me later?"

"Huh?" Benny was really looking confused now, all wide hazel eyes and blood dripping down his chin with his mouth hanging open, and Ethan found himself thinking that maybe this guy was a little cute. Then he remembered that he wasn't gay and that he really needed to get his shit together and come up with a great explanation for his dilemma...that is, if Benny even said yes to his proposition. Benny, who was still gaping, and in the process had taken the tissues away from his still bleeding nose. The taller man seemed to realize what he was doing and placed it back in place before it could do any more damage to his jacket."Did you just ask me out?"

"I think so." Ethan gave him a few more tissues from his apron pocket before moving back behind the counter, as more customers were coming in. "How about it, Benny? I'll make it worth your while."

"Alright." Benny nodded, grinning then, replacing the soaked tissue with the clean ones."It's a date..." He paused. "On one condition."

"Yeah?" Ethan asked from his spot at the sink, where he was washing his hands, finding himself suddenly nervous, then. He tried desperately to keep any guilt or anxiety from his face. "What's that?"

"I'll plan everything, and you don't worry about a thing." Benny answered, and Ethan found himself oddly charmed by his crocodile grin. "And you come over to my apartment later."

"Sounds good, Benny." Ethan grinned at said man as he proceeded to take the first customer's order, and then gave Benny his usual drink, along with a warm Holiday Turkey-Stuffing Panini he'd chosen at random from the menu. On the house, as a kind of apology that Benny had slipped and fallen when he'd barely made it two steps into the establishment. As it turned out, Benny had hated stuffing since he was a kid, but insisted that the sandwich and drink combo was damn near perfection. He also insisted that the delicacy he would make for the night was going to blow Ethan away (and not to worry, it wouldn't be sheep brains or anything creepy like that, because apparently he was a man of distinct class) and had assured Ethan rather inappropriately that he "won't wanna be anywhere else tonight, gorgeous".

Rory's only and also inappropriate comment was that he was insanely tired, so Ethan better not be calling him in the middle of the night crying because someone had gotten pregnant.

"Rory!" Ethan's face burned red, indignant and slightly embarrassed. "Seriously?"

"What? I really am tired, and crazy things always happen your first time going places." Rory insisted, plopping down beside him at a booth, fifteen minutes before the shop closed. "Remember the first time you came to my dorm? We hypnotized my roommates dog and drank white wine out of a box until you passed out on my dresser." Rory grinned just then at his friend's scowl, and then laughed. "It's been so long, I kind of forgot."

"Forgot what?" Ethan dared ask, annoyed scowl still set firmly in place.

"When we get going, we _really_ get going." Rory burst out laughing, and Ethan couldn't hold back just the smallest of grins.

By the time he was actually standing at Benny's door, freshly showered and brushed, in a soft button-up shirt and his favorite pair of jeans, he was feeling unsure about the whole thing.

What if Rory was right? No, not about the pregnant thing, but about the crazy things going on. What if Ethan ruined everything without meaning to? Not that there was anything to ruin...yet. But he was still trying to think of a way to tell Benny that he needed him to be a stand-in. How would he react to that? The taller brunet seemed like an easy-going guy, but would he be mad? Amused?

He was still biting his lip, with a hesitant hand raised to knock when Benny opened his door.

"Hey." Ethan said right away. "Let me just say, I'm kinda nervous."

"Don't worry E." Benny gave a reassuring smile, looking quite at ease, if not a little disheveled with his hair askew and a powdery patterned apron tied around his waist. "I haven't done this in a long time either." Then he opened the door and made a grand gesture to follow him inside.

"That's kind of what I was afraid of..." Ethan said anxiously to himself and followed the taller man inside, right into a living room.

The apartment interior was really disorganized, but homey and clean. Everything was pretty standard-no fancy furniture except a few unique couch pillows and a big love seat which had to have been moved in and not just included with the furniture. There were papers and books everywhere, in plastic bins on the shelves, and on the bookcases, looking to be both educational and fiction. There were some comics too, and oddly enough, a lot of science fiction novels that he himself had read over the years.

"Make yourself at home." Benny called over his shoulder, walking further into the kitchen. "You hungry?"

"Yeah!" Ethan called, shrugging off his coat, and suddenly having the thought that maybe things were taking a turn for too far too fast. After all, this was this first meeting they'd had outside of Starbucks, and now Ethan was going to his apartment for dinner, casually hanging up his jacket and making himself at home. Didn't that seem a little fast? He just found out his name a few hours ago. For all he knew, Benny Weir could've been an axe murderer with a clown suit in his closet.

"Uh, E? Could you come and help me with this? I was washing my hands and I dropped my ring down the disposal again." On second thought, maybe he didn't need one. He was a one-man improv act without need of help.

"Coming."

So Benny seemed like a sweet guy, if not a little blank at times, and here Ethan was, ready to use him for a solution to his own problems because he was too ashamed to admit his own mistakes. That made him a bad person, didn't it?

And that was all Ethan could think of as he precariously helped Benny fish his strange, Celtic-looking ring from the sink.

"Don't think so hard." Benny commented as Ethan pulled up the glinting object with a pair of thin tongs from a rack hanging on the wall. Ethan tried his best for a smile and ran the ring under some hot water to rid it of any slime before handing it back to Benny.

"Uh...hey Benny?" Ethan asked nervously, trying not to gulp as his own plain, brown eyes raised to meet deep hazel ones that looked so much richer than his own. Erika's eyes had been so blue and so striking and every single time Ethan dared to look into them seemed like an icy challenge. But Benny's eyes...

"What's up, E?" Benny asked easily, and Ethan shook himself out of his pondering thoughts, blinking for a moment in surprise. The nickname sounded so natural.

"...I need to tell you something." Ethan started, making his words slow and careful as he could without being weird, because all of a sudden he was feeling very nervous and more than a little shameful. Why had he come in the first place? It was all hopeless.

It was all he could do not to reach out and shake the other man in exasperation when Benny suddenly announced that dinner was finished and began taking potholders and such off of various metal racks. "You can help if you want. Or you know, you could go and chill by the table for a bit. Actually, I'd rather you did, because I want to see you're reaction when I set the plate in front of you."

"Um, but Benny, there's really-"

"Just go wait at the table, lovesh-uh..." Benny made a strange noise between a cough and a strangled sound, effectively cutting off the pet-name he'd gotten so used to saying. "Ethan. I'll be there..momentarily."

Feeling too awkward and too disgusted with himself to do much else, Ethan headed over to the table in the other room with a raincloud hanging over his head, feeling more glum than ever. How could he be such a jerk? Benny was such a nice guy, and more than that, he was making freaking _dinner_ in a leafy, flowery looking apron that should've looked way out of place on a man's body, but on him just looked natural...and he really needed to stop thinking about a Benny as an actual _person_ with a personality and feelings. He needed to end this! Before it got out of hand!

Letting out a noise of deep discontentment, Ethan began tapping his foot in anxiety, letting his fingers dance across the polished but worn wood of the table. How was he going to fix this? He couldn't very we'll ask Benny to do this for him now. Not now that he had actually spent a little time with him...was it immoral? He chewed his lip. Fuck yeah, it was immoral! What the hell had he been thinking?! God, he was such an idiot...

"What did I say about thinking too hard, E?"

Benny's voice jolted him out of his internal ranting for a second time, and Ethan restrained himself from visibly jumping. "What?"

"You've been staring out my window for like a whole minute, E." Benny looked at him with an odd mix of curiosity and affection that almost make him flinch. "Are you okay?"

"No." Ethan blurted. "I mean yeah, but..."

"Should I be worried?" Was the playful and semi-serious reply, and Ethan wanted to scream at Benny for how charming he was being for no apparent reason and for his smile being so nice and inviting. Ethan was setting him up, dammit! The poor fool couldn't even see that-

Well...what were those?

Ethan's head tilted to the side on its own accord, his eyes widening minutely in wonder at the intricate dish set on the table before him. And it wasn't even the food, really, that startled him, it was more of the actual _dish_...was it wooden? Those marks...

"Uh, yeah, the dishes are wooden." Benny's answer mirrored his thoughts, which was really starting to become an awful habit. Ethan glanced up to see the man looking surprisingly nervous. "I mean, if you don't mind..." He bit his lip and glanced up at Ethan before those hazel eyes settled back down on the table. "I could switch them, if you want."

"Oh..." Ethan shook his head and gave what was close to a genuine smile, accompanied with a laugh. "No! No of course not, it's just...aren't those a little too nice..." For _me_? He wanted to ask.

"Well, it is a matching set." Benny replied, then shook his head as he explained further. "The bowls and the food, I mean. They're supposed to go together. That's what they were made for."

"They're so beautiful." Ethan murmured, and it didn't occur to him that what he's just said wasn't exactly the manliest thing to say until he looked up and saw the smile on Benny's face. He felt his own face begin to flush in embarrassment until he recognized the sincerity in the brunet's eyes.

"Thanks. My grandma made them." Benny replied, looking very pleased with Ethan's comment. "She makes all kinds of things like this, she's actually pretty crazy about it."

"I wish I could make something like this." Ethan replied truthfully, and then did his best to act like there was nothing wrong at all. Which, of course, was impossible, but...

"Wow." Ethan grinned and motioned to all of the dishes that had almost like magic appeared on the table while he had been facing the other way. They were all just really beautiful. What else could he say? It felt so...special. "This is amazing. You didn't have to do this."

"I know." Benny shrugged, and grinned whilst crossing the table and pulling off his apron with a grand sweep. He pulled out a clunky chair for Ethan, and the shorter brunet really didn't have time to think about how that was so not something a just-friend would do before he was sitting down with a flustered smile.

"Thanks." Ethan cleared his throat and before taking a bite, allowed Benny to explain what was sitting on his plate. As it turned out, the curry-like dish with a mix of vegetables, chicken and sauce was a Scottish dish his mother had taught him to make when he was a young teen. The berry-sauce and bread amongst others were traditional side-dishes for the meal, as was the red wine Benny insisted he kept around for medicinal purposes.

"This is all too much." Ethan found himself saying after having taken only a few bites of the delicious food. He had been hungry a while earlier, but now more than ever, guilt and nervousness was eating away at his stomach.

"Well, I tried my best." Ethan smiled and looked up at Benny, trying to decide how to go about it. He had to get it out of his system now. "I'm just going to come right out and ask, Ethan. What's bothering you?"

"Um...what do you mean?" Ethan forced and laughed and lowered his gaze to the table directly in front of Benny, where a fork tapping lightly against the wood of the plate was still grasped in long, slender fingers.

"You've been weird this whole time." Benny went on, setting down his fork and whiling needlessly at his mouth with a napkin. "Look, I know I might come on a little too strong...like _all the time_ , but..." He struggled for words. "I'm nervous too, E. If you're really that uncomfortable, you can leave. I wouldn't-"

"Woah, wait a second." Ethan looked at him with a small smile. "You don't make me uncomfortable. That's actually the whole reason I'm here, Benny. I wouldn't have asked you otherwise." He could visibly see Benny relax just a bit-could see some of the tension leave his posture.

"That's good to hear." Benny cleared his throat and gave a hesitant grin. "Well, if it's not me, then...what is it?" When Ethan didn't immediately answer, Benny went on. "Is it something I can help with? You look kinda scared, E."

"I want you to be my fiancée!" Ethan blurted, unable to hold it in any longer and not knowing how else to say it. Benny choked on his wine.

Unable to answer, Benny gave an exaggerated questioning look and did his best to stop coughing as Ethan looked on guiltily. When he could breathe, he picked up his goblet and downed the rest of his wine in one go.

"That's moving a bit too fast, don't you think, E?" Benny wheezed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean-" Ethan fiddled with the food on his plate. "I mean...I don't know how else to put it either, Benny, so I'm just going to say it..." He tried to work up just enough courage to get the next few sentences out. "I need a fiancée by tomorrow. Not a real one! Just someone to...pose as my fiancée?" He winced at how bad that had come out.

"Oh." Benny blinked and then gave a weak laugh. "Trying to make someone jealous? Shouldn't be too hard..."

"No, but..." Ethan bit his lip, but he couldn't stop the words now. The pressure in his chest was decreasing with each confession he made, and he couldn't be more relieved. At least Benny was taking it well...he didn't seem ready to throw him out or anything. "It's so embarrassing, but my family is having this big party tomorrow and I already told my parents I was engaged, which I'm not, and they probably already told everyone..."

"What do you mean?" Benny asked, bewilderment crossing his face. "You mean you didn't propose yet? Or...I don't get what the problem is. Why are you here, if you-"

"Because she broke up with me!" Ethan exclaimed, slamming back the rest of his wine as well and running a shaking hand through his hair. "She said no, threw the ring I proposed to her with in my face, and left." He hung his head, suddenly overcome with the same sadness that had plagued him earlier this week. Saying it out loud had hurt more than he'd thought it would.

"Aww Ethan, I'm sorry." Benny looked at him sympathetically.

"That's still not the real problem." Ethan shook his head as thought trying to clear his thoughts. "The problem is that my parents think I'm engaged and I'm so...NOT. I can't fess up about this Benny! The humiliation would kill me!"

"Well..." Benny shrugged, a small grin lighting up his otherwise oddly solemn face. "You did get yourself into this."

"I'm trying to get out." Ethan insisted and slumped. "I know it's not fair that I ask this of you, especially after how nice your being to me. Why are you being so nice? Why do you have to be so...you?!"

"Okay, was that a serious question, or..."

"Yes! No...wait a minute..."

"Look." Benny scooted closer, bringing his chair around the rounded table to sit beside the near-panicking man. "You can do this. Granted, you probably haven't made the smartest decisions possible, but...it could work out." He shrugged helplessly. "If it makes you feel any better...I _could_ go with you. If-if you want me to, I mean." Ethan had never heard Benny sound so awkward.

"You would do that?" Ethan asked, peeking out from between his hands, which were situated over his burning face. "Really? After all this-"

"You need help." Benny shrugged. "And I've got nothing better to do. So...yeah."

"Really?" Ethan asked, perking up and unable to stop the waves of relief that suddenly flooded through him.

"Well, yeah." Benny grinned and Ethan found himself beaming back. "A challenge, a gorgeous date, a party that probably comes with free food...totally." The last part sounded a bit forced, but Ethan launched himself across the small space between them to wrap his arms around the lanky boy in front of him.

"Oh my god, you don't know..." Ethan gave a helpless shake of his head, still clinging to the taller man. "How relieved I am. Thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it." Benny grinned, wrapping his arms around Ethan in return. "But I think you should mention a few things about your family...like their names. I don't know anything about them."

Giving a breathy laugh, Ethan leaned back and tried to deal with his pounding heart. He tried to convince himself that it was from all the relief and gratefulness rather than the close proximity to the brunet in front of him. It was so embarrassing, but he thought that maybe he even felt tears stinging his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I should mention a few things at least." Ethan sighed and blinked rapidly to get the waterworks under control. "And I should probably get to know you. I can't have a fiancée after all, and know nothing about him, and that really sounds so weird...I don't think my parents ever thought I'd be into guys, and neither did I. I mean, I'm still not completely sure I'm-"

He found his babbling to be cut off by a pair of lips against his own. Blinking, he let his eyes slip closed and for a moment got lost in the sweet kiss. A moment more and he was totally convinced that his relief wasn't what caused his fluttering heart. No, it was definitely the goofball in front of him, who was now wrapping his arms around him, caressing his face like he was something to be taken great care with.

He was almost reluctant when they pulled away. He was also sure that his face had never been more flushed than it was now. Opening his eyes, he found burning hazel orbs, and for the first time found himself _both_ intimidated and comforted.

"The first thing you need to know about me." Benny said, and Ethan was pleased to hear that his voice wasn't altogether steady. "Is that I really like you Ethan."

Pulling him closer, Benny rested his forehead against Ethan's, and the shorter man found his eyes slipping closed again. He couldn't even begin to believe that he was admitting it, but...

He wasn't...gay...but he might've liked Benny back. Just a little.

He knew that after this, there would be a lot of questions and answers to go through. Probably a lot of awkwardness and a couple more apologies on his part, but now that he was thinking about it, it almost seemed like Benny had been waiting for this. For how long, he wondered, and thought vaguely if he should mention it. Still...

"I can deal with that." Ethan surprised himself by answering, although the tremors he felt refused to let him speak above a whisper. Even more surprising was the fact that he was the one to initiate the next kiss, scooting closer and closer until he was all but sitting in Benny's lap. The other man didn't seem to mind in the least, and held Ethan tightly against his chest, even pulling him up to straddle him.

Ethan had never thought that he'd ever be the one straddling the other, never thought he'd be leaning down to get lost in a kiss whilst running his fingers through short, silky curls. It was safe to say that before he met Benny, he'd never been attracted to any male like... _that_. He'd never in his dreams imagined he'd be hot all over, kissing a _dude_.

Not until that night.

After all, he couldn't look awkward and _inexperienced_ with his fiancée, could he?

 **X**

 **AN** : How was it? There will be a second-part to this, in which Benny and Ethan struggle through the gathering of his family, and I will try quite a bit to add some humor. This chapter to me, seemed quite a bit tense and slow in places, but I gave it my best. It still ended up way OOC from what I intended, and half of it is Ethan freeing out...notice how I do a lot of that? xD

How was it? I've been working on this since mid-December, but a lot of **** came up, and you know how that goes. This was originally supposed to be a Christmas story, but then Christmas passed, and it turned into this because posting an x-mas story now would be embarrassing. I'm disappointed in myself, because there was gonna be a cute mistletoe scene and everything! lol

 **Review** , please? (Maybe if I be nice about it, it'll actually work.)


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